A Debt From the Past Read Online Free Page A

unable to believe that her dear godfather was dead and that he should have put the Langton estate at the mercy of this stranger.
    There was a tentative knock at the door and her maid, Jenny, peered in. ‘Cook said to bring you a tray of tea, miss.’
    ‘Thank you, Jenny. That is most thoughtful of her.’ Beth dried her eyes. It was not wise to allow grief to distract her from the seriousness of the situation. ‘Jenny, will you ask Tom to come and see me, please.’
    ‘Up here, miss?’
    ‘Yes, and tell him not to let our visitor see him. Leave the door slightly open when you leave.’
    The maid hurried away, and before Beth and Helen had a chance to finish their first cup of tea, a young boy slid into the room.
    ‘No one saw me, miss,’ he whispered.
    ‘Good. Come in and shut the door, Tom. I want you to do something for me.’ When the lad nodded, she continued. ‘Go and find the estate manager, Mr Greenway, and tell him that I’ll come to the grain barn in an hour’s time to see him. We have urgent matters to discuss, but it is imperative that the new Lord Sharland doesn’t know we are meeting.’
    ‘Understood, miss.’ Tom opened the door a crack, then slid through the door and disappeared without making a sound.
    ‘That boy is going to be very useful, Helen, for I fear we shall have to move with stealth. Until I am able to sort this mess out, everyone here will have to obey that obnoxious man, but I shall watch every move he makes. I refuse to put the prosperity of my family estate at the mercy of a man I do not know. I am hoping that my godfather’s letter will throw some light on this mystery, for I cannot imagine why he has done this.’
    ‘Neither can I.’ Helen was shaking her head. ‘It is so unlike him to do such a thing, and I cannot imagine what the lawyer needs to discuss with me.’
    ‘I hope we shall find some answers tomorrow.’
    Watching the time carefully, they finished the tea, and then Beth said, ‘Time to go, Helen. We’ll take the back stairs via the servants’ quarters; with luck, we should be able to reach the stables unobserved.’
    Halfway down, they met the butler. ‘Where is he, Jenkins?’
    Still in the master’s rooms, miss. He’s asked for hot water so he can bathe.’
    ‘Ah, that should keep him occupied for a while. I’m going to meet Mr Greenway to tell him what has happened and work out a plan of action with him. The estate must not suffer because of this unfortunate turn of events.’
    ‘You’ll have to hurry, then, miss, because he’s informed Cook that in future dinner will be served at seven o’clock and not eight. We’ll try and keep him busy until you get back.’
    ‘Thank you, Jenkins. If he asks for me, tell him that I am indisposed.’
    ‘I’ll do that, miss.’
    The stables were not overlooked from the house and they ran the last few yards.
    Tom was there with three horses already saddled. ‘I’d better come with you, miss, in case his nibs turns up.’
    As wretched as she felt, that almost brought a smile to Beth’s face. Tom was only thirteen, with a lot of growing still to do, but he’d clearly taken on the role of her protector.
    ‘Thank you, Tom. We shall be pleased to have you ride with us.’
    The estate manager was waiting for them, anxious to hear what had happened. ‘Young Tom told us the sad news about Lord Edward, Miss Langton, but he didn’t know much about the stranger who’s turned up.’
    Beth quickly explained and saw Mr Greenway’s face darken with concern. ‘I don’t like the sound of that. This estate runs smoothly and makes a steady profit. Your father saw to that and he taught you his ways. As soon as you could sit on a horse, you were by his side, asking questions. You’ve a good business head on your shoulders, and we don’t want a stranger coming in and changing things.’
    ‘That is also my concern, so I want you to come and see me if he does anything you disagree with.’ Beth ran a hand over her tired